Hello, Yesterday, I felt ill so, I checked my blood sugar on two different meters... I knew I was very low. One meter's result was 190....the second meter result was 49..(Bayer). Since I felt very ill, I knew the 49 was the correct reading.
I tested my blood this morning at 10:25 EST. I changed the batteries in two of my meters and charged a third meter. I set up all three meters with test strips and then used the lancet on one finger. These were the results after using the blood from my finger: ULTRA2-221, Ultra Mini-210, Bayer Contour-190. Now, I have no idea what is correct and what isn't.
Been there, done that, and abandoned it LOL. You can drive yourself nuts trying to figure out which meter is 'right', especially given that they can be off by +/-20. I take my meter when I get blood drawn for a BG, and compare my reading to the lab. It's usually not off by more than 10.
Pick one meter, stick with it, or you'll be tearing your hair out ;) I suspect that the 190 was probably something on your hands? Did you retest on the same meter?
Great comments. Not all meters are same on different bodies.
Water content of body and how much trick sugar liver throws around the body loop back into liver for another pass can really prang readings one is seeing when test strips read total sugar glucose D plus the corn man made sugars.
One needs to test each meter on your own body and see results after digesting a meal ( 6 hours period after ingesting a meal and see if consistency on meters. I have seen 40 to 100 points off.
PQQ strips are a disgrace and FDA should be shot. Be sure to drink water as I have seen severe wrong readings on some meters.
I have seen very good meters on my body spike when they shouldn't and water differences in blood also confuse some very good meters.
I couldn't retest with anything. I was so out of it. That's how I knew I was extremely low. Luckily, I was able to call my husband and he came home from work immediately. I generally use the Bayer Contour meter. I guess I will need to decide which two I can trust. I like to have one with me and one at home. Thanks for your response. :)
Thanks Jim... I am amazed that when I tested my blood, using three different meters, this morning.....all at the same time, each meter had a different reading. A difference of 30-40 points could mean going into a diabetic coma. No meter should be off that much. You would think the technology would have come further along that that.
I've also been there - 60-70 pt. difference between two meters. You'd think with the ridiculous price of test strips, that wouldn't happen. Sometimes I go for days without testing just to avoid the stress which can be worse than not knowing what my BG is.
221-190 is not so much difference. The problem is you 190-49: are you sure it was 190 ? It seems an "operational" error to me.
If you have to choose something, choose a meter+test strips sold in the last year: they did some progress.
Bayer for example should have countour XT, with new test strips.
Then you have lifescan Verio, Agamatrix/sanofi bgstar as far as I know.
I wouldn't be as concerned about the 221,210 ,190 as I would about the 190, 49. I would call the company you got the 190 on and tell them about your results. They might ask you to send the meter back and send you a new one. Meter companies are usually interested in situations like you found with the 2 meters.
Just saw your entry of the 90. I would still call the company. You aren't low with a 90.
Oh, I didn't realize I put 190..... it was 90 NOT 190. The situation is the same though. I don't become almost unable to function at 90... Thanks for noticing my mistake. :)
It is true, that if you do not do meter comparison carefully, readings will be wildly different if not done on same sample from clean area at same time. It takes some trickery. Yes once settled on meter - use it and drop all others. I have been concistently able to compare and evaluate meters - yes no fun and a pain, but it was necessary.
All other comments aside. These meters DO NOT ACT the same on all bodies regardless and I was driven nuts till I found those meters that ON MY BODY could give reliable consistent results and do not trip up over the "total" sugar reading versus the glucose D readings the body runs on.
Hemocrit and water ranges as well as oxygen operating ranges of a meter affect how it will perform on some types of bodies. All meters here are NOT the same.
I have had meters whereby I would eat some of the trick sugars and send my readings reliably up 40 to 100 points no sweat and last 6 hours till crap rubbed out of system.
As for going low - falling BG and going high - rising BG - yes who cares on rising if it is 40 to 100 points off.
On falling BG and bg at 100 and a reading to 40 to 100 points offset is a real big deal.
Not said much today or related is the 13 folks who died due to the use of PQQ test strips used in hand held equipment in a hospital reading trick sugars causing horrendous insulin injections.
Every once in a while together with some db1 friends of mine we get a new meter so we check to see how it behaves. A friend of mine used a meter that I found measuring always 20 points lower than mine at ipo range: he said it was right for him because it matched his hypo feelings. After almost an year when his A1c didn't match his meter average readings he changed to a "modern" meter which reads alway 20% more than my (usual) meter and now he says he feels hypo according to his new meter. That's mathematically impossible, but diabetic truth ! You get used to a level of BGs and feel hypo when you go lower than usual (expecially if you go down fast as soon after a bolus).
So the only check you need to do is see if your A1c is consistent (more or less, it's a less than perfect formula) with your meter average readings of the last 3 months, according to this calculator (link).
excellent points all. I missed commenting on A1C cross check which is very helpful and indication.
So far my A1C and related BG average from that test ends up on all my a1c tests so far as 8 points lower than the averages from cgms/caveman strip meter.
